will a dark gray show body flaws bad?

[1968_Charger]

im looking at painting my car. i wanted black but its obviously going to show any imperfections. ive heard that silver is pretty forgiving, so im wondering if a dark gray, like eleanor, would be good to use.
what do you guys think?

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Any dark color will show more flaws than a light color but why not spend the extra time and get the car straight. If you cannot get it straight enough find somebody who can and spend the extra money to make it nice. It will be worth it in the long run.

I can get my cars pretty straight but do not do bodywork and paint for a living so I always hire a friend to help with with the final prep on the jobs I want "perfect", or as close as we can get it. This generally only takes us an extra 8 hours on a complete car and only costs me a couple hundred bucks but is money well spent. Bear in mind, my prep is pretty close by the time I call him.

[68X426]

IMO: Dark gray (and dark burgandy) shows everything, every bit as much as black. Haven't seen a gray paint job, when it looks great, that doesn't show everything. Awesome color on a Charger anyway.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Here's a pic of a Charger I helped build - dark grey and I can attest that EVERY body flaw is evident - probably even more so than black

[elitecustombody]

im looking at painting my car. i wanted black but its obviously going to show any imperfections. ive heard that silver is pretty forgiving, so im wondering if a dark gray, like eleanor, would be good to use.
what do you guys think?

bad idea,just spend the extra time and get it done right,regardless of the color

[Matthan]

That is a nice charger!!

[hemi-hampton]

You could always paint it white

[Silver R/T]

why bother painting a car if it's not straight? Might as well throw some flat black primer on there and call it good until you're ready to do it right

[Rolling_Thunder]

You could always paint it white

Hey...     Not all white cars have flaws!   

[1968_Charger]

well im planning on getting it as straight as i can, but im no professional. im on a really tight budget and havent done alot of bodywork myself so im sure there wil be minor stuff. but if you guys are saying that the gray is just as bad as black i might primer it black and see how it looks, then make a decision from there. id take my time but i dont have a garage to work in and winter is coming fast. plus i miss driving it.
ill let you guys know the outcome. should be done in the next couple weeks.

[Mike DC]

  
Just my two cents:  


If you don't genuinely care about the finish issues YOURSELF, then I say fuck the perfection and paint it however you want.  The finish can always be redone later if the steel underneath was done acceptably.

If the panels are all solid then just spray it with something that looks decent to the eyes of a non-bodyguy and get on with your life.  You don't owe it to the rest of the world to only have a vintage Charger if the block sanding is perfect.  

[1968_Charger]

well i did one of my front fenders in flat black primer today. looks way better that the gray primer and to me doesnt show imperfections as bad either. i originally wanted to paint the charger flat black, and after seeing what i could do myself i think i might just do it. now if i paint the car with flat black primer and get it looking as good as i want it to, can i just clear over it if i decide to keep it like that? or will i need to use a real flat black paint on top of the black primer then clear it?
remember, im on a tighter than tight budget.

[BMOTOXSTAR]

White man, white to hide schotty body work...like this hack job for example.
This turd even has the flat black hood.

[hemi-hampton]

Dont clear Primer. Black base will be somewhat flat until you clear it. If you want it to stay flat then dont clear it, clearing it will make it glossy unless you add a flattening agent to clear. I beleive they make a flat single stage paint called HOT ROD black. Your best bet if you want that flat look. LEON.

[Charger-Bodie]

Dont clear Primer. Black base will be somewhat flat until you clear it. If you want it to stay flat then dont clear it, clearing it will make it glossy unless you add a flattening agent to clear. I beleive they make a flat single stage paint called HOT ROD black. Your best bet if you want that flat look. LEON.

I agree ,with one exception. Use a premixed flat clear instead of a singlestage. Its alot easier to get it nice and even,unlike most of the single stage flat colors or black.

[1968_Charger]

im really liking the flat black, and the areas i thought would look bad acctually arent really noticable. so what you guys are suggesting is i go with a flat black basecoat. and leave it at that?
1hotdaytona, you mentioned a premixed flat clear, so thats a basecoat/clearcoat except the base is flat? do you have an example of this. thanks

[Charger-Bodie]

im really liking the flat black, and the areas i thought would look bad acctually arent really noticable. so what you guys are suggesting is i go with a flat black basecoat. and leave it at that?
1hotdaytona, you mentioned a premixed flat clear, so thats a basecoat/clearcoat except the base is flat? do you have an example of this. thanks

you use regular base coat,then clear it with the pre-mixed flat clear.

PPG has a good one called 2060 flexed n flat.

[1968_Charger]

ok so i buy regular gloss black base, and then that clear and it will dull the black and provide clear coat protection?

[Charger-Bodie]

ok so i buy regular gloss black base, and then that clear and it will dull the black and provide clear coat protection?

Correct. And with the flat clear it dries down VERY even. If you have ever seen a flat black painted surface that looked striped.....Thats a failed single stage flat finish most likely.

[1968_Charger]

awesome. i think ill be going that route.
thanks alot!

[Landonsrt]

well im planning on getting it as straight as i can, but im no professional. im on a really tight budget and havent done alot of bodywork myself so im sure there wil be minor stuff. but if you guys are saying that the gray is just as bad as black i might primer it black and see how it looks, then make a decision from there. id take my time but i dont have a garage to work in and winter is coming fast. plus i miss driving it.
ill let you guys know the outcome. should be done in the next couple weeks.

Do the best you can. Then save up to have someone finish it. Dont waste money on something that your not going to be happy with down the road.